The underlying data. "When I type “200 W 79, NYC,” Google Maps drops a pin right where it belongs: on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Apple’s Maps app, on the other hand, acts positively drunk. It asks me to clarify: “Did you mean 200 Durham Road, Madison, CT? Or 200 Madison Road, Durham, CT?”

The "must-have" features are all there: "Spoken driving directions, color-coded real-time traffic conditions, vector-based maps (smooth at any size)"

Google brings as much quality to walking and public transit directions as driving.

Google shows useful information for particular venues. "If you look up a restaurant, you can read the Zagat write-up, read customer reviews, read the menu or even book reservations, right there on the info screen."